Arts, Culture & Entertainment: Shenandoah Valley Region Winners 2016

Best Annual Charity Event

First Place: Deck the Halls, Project Horizon, Virginia Military Institute, Marshall Hall, ProjectHorizon.org, 540-463-7861
Held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the Deck the Halls gala dinner has raised nearly $500,000 since it began in 2000 to support Project Horizon’s mission to reduce domestic violence. The event features dinner and a live auction (notable past items have included signed prints from photographer Sally Mann).
Second place: Woodstock Turkey Trot, Woodstock, Regulus-Group.com/events, 540-459-2142
Third place: Night at the Museum, Explore More Discovery Museum, Harrisonburg, IExploreMore.com, 540-442-8900

Best Art Event

First Place: Art in the Park, Staunton, SAArtCenter.org, 540-885-2028
Art in the Park celebrates its 50th birthday this year with a two-day arts and crafts festival in Staunton’s Gypsy Hill park. Visitors can speak directly with the exhibiting artists, listen to live music and sample local fare. Aspiring artists will also have a chance to show off their talents in a children’s art activity area.
Second place: Virginia Fall Foliage Art Festival, Waynesboro, SVACArt.com, 540-949-7662
Third place: First Fridays Downtown, Harrisonburg, ValleyArts.org, 540-801-8779

Best Charity

First Place: Project Horizon, Lexington, ProjectHorizon.org, 540-463-7861
Project Horizon is committed to reducing domestic and sexual violence in the Shenandoah Valley. The organization’s ongoing Raising Hope Campaign raises funds for building and program expansion, including plans for a new Child Advocacy Center and an efficiency apartment to shelter survivors of domestic or sexual assault.
Second place: Valley Mission, Staunton, ValleyMission.net, 540-886-4673
Third place: Cat’s Cradle, Harrisonburg, CatsCradleVa.org, 540-433-1135

Best Family Entertainment

First Place: Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton, FrontierMuseum.org, 540-332-7850
On Saturdays, the museum presents a special program for toddlers and pre-schoolers, including story time, crafts and the chance to pet farm animals (“Your kids will love our kids!” says the museum of its baby goats). Family annual passes are available for year-round admission and discounts on events like Historic Games Day and the Children’s Holiday Workshop.
Second place: Explore More Discovery Museum, Harrisonburg, IExploreMore.com, 540-442-8900
Third place: Hull’s Drive-In, Lexington, HullsDriveIn.com, 540-463-2621

Best Food Festival

First Place: Harrisonburg International Festival, Harrisonburg, http://Harrisonburg-International-Festival.org, 540-434-0059
Started in 1997 to celebrate diversity and the role of immigrants in the community, the festival offers a wide range of cuisines, plus Aztec and Kurdish dancers, an Eritrean band, and a Chinese lion performance. The festival also produces a cookbook so that you can make your favorite foods at home.
Second place: Rocktown Beer & Music Festival, Harrisonburg, RocktownFestival.com, 540-432-8922
Third place: Maple Festival, Monterey, HighlandCounty.org, 540-468-2250

Best Movie Theater

First Place: Zeus Digital Theaters, Waynesboro, ZeusTheaters.com, 540-416-0536
With eight screens and leather high back rocking chairs, Zeus has been showing first-run Hollywood flicks since its opening in 2010. The locally-owned theater also offers a party room for children and adults’ functions, as well as private screenings of any of its shows.
Second place: Visualite, Staunton, VisualiteCinemas.com, 540-885-9959
Third place: Court Square Theater, Harrisonburg, ValleyArts.org/cst-about, 540-433-9189

Best Music Venue

First Place: The Golden Pony, Harrisonburg, GoldenPonyVa.com, 540-901-2628
Downstairs at the Golden Pony, you can see Virginia’s buzziest indie bands (ever heard of Big Weird or Judy Chops?) and popular touring acts Thursday through Sunday nights on its professional soundstage. Out back on the patio, you’ll often find daytime performances in warmer weather.
Second place: Lime Kiln Theater, Lexington, LimeKilnTheater.org, 540-463-7088
Third place: Clementine Café, Harrisonburg, ClementineCafe.com, 540-801-8881

Best Museum

First Place: Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton, FrontierMuseum.org, 540-332-7850
How did early settlers build their life in the unforgiving wilderness of the New World? Find out at the Frontier Culture Museum, where you can explore working farms from the 17th- and 18th centuries staffed by historic interpreters. The museum also hosts weekly American roots music concerts in the summer.
Second Place: Explore More Discovery Museum, Harrisonburg, IExploreMore.com, 540-442-8900
Third place: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, WoodrowWilson.org, 540-885-0897

Best Performing Arts Company

First Place: American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, AmericanStakespeareCenter.com, 540-851-1733
If all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, then the internationally-recognized Blackfriars playhouse can be considered its VIP seats. Performances take place in the world’s only re-creation of the Bard’s original indoor playhouse. The center hosts a biennial Blackfriars conference dedicated to the modern study and production of Shakespeares works.
Second place: Rockbridge Ballet, Lexington, RockbridgeBallet.org, 540-463-3436
Third place: ShenanArts, Staunton, ShenanArts.org, 540-712-0001